Love and Loss
by Hershel Greene
Summary: One-Shot. After the Collector attack, Shepard and Tali share a peaceful conversation together, their last conversation for two years.


_I believe that  
imagination is stronger than knowledge,  
myth is more potent than history,  
dreams are more powerful than facts,  
hope always triumphs over experience,  
laughter is the cure for grief,  
love is stronger than death._

_-Robert Fulghum-_

Tali stood several meters away from a beautiful tree. It's pink and white colored leaves and flowers sprouting from it's white wood. It was a single tree, in a field of pure and green grass, with some white flowers spread around it. Tali let out a quiet sigh as she observed the trees vibrant shades of pink leaves. There were tall buildings far in the background, cars could be seen being drove around, the people going about their daily business. Tali started to cry, a few tears streaming down her gray skin, hidden to the world behind her purple visor.

"How's it going Tali?" Shepard asked, walked up next to her, to view the tree alongside her. "Beautiful tree." He stated, nodding to the tree and looking to Tali.

Tali looked at him, and the tears and earlier feel of depression went away, a smile growing on her face. "Oh, fine, I was just looking at that pretty tree. I think I was crying a little because it looks so beautiful." She said, pointing a finger to the tree. "How are you?" She asked, taking a look at the clothes he wore. He wasn't dressed in his usual thick suit of armor, but instead a black suit and tie, with a white shirt under the suit. She looked down to his feet, seeing a pair of shiny dress shoes, and his black pants. "Well you're dressed spiffy today, aren't you?" She said, smiling at him and his clothes.

"So are you." He said, pointing a finger of his own to her attire. She wore the same old armor and suit, except her usual purple cloth was replaced with some black cloth. "I like it, makes you look prettier than usual." He said, smiling as he observed her body.

"Shut up, you can't see my face, you don't know if I'm pretty or not." She said, regardless, she started smiling at his flattery.

"Well... that's technically true, but with a body as great as yours, you have to be pretty." He said, taking both of his hands and drawing the outline of her body, tracing the curves she had.

"Well, thank you, you're not that bad looking yourself." She said, looking back to the tree, and smiling at her false modest opinion of Shepard.

"Not that bad looking?" He asked, smiling questioningly at her, and receiving a giggle from behind her mask.

"Okay, okay... you're pretty handsome." She said, looking back to him and returning a smile that he couldn't see.

He nodded approvingly and looked back to the tree, quietly admiring it for a second. "How's a tree get that beautiful?" He asked her, staring at and waiting for her to answer.

"I don't know, I suppose it just is." She said, shrugging her shoulders and looking back to the tree.

Shepard shook his head at her, while still looking at the tree. "No... can't be. I mean, it looks like, 'A': God took a day off from work and decided to paint this beautiful work of art, or 'B'; Mother nature decided this field was too barren to not have an amazing looking tree here, and spent the day building it." He said, turning to look at Tali once he finished.

She nodded to him, and came up with a third option. "Or, 'C': It's just popped up here, and turned into a really natural and beautiful thing." She said, looking at him for confirmation.

"Yeah, I like that one. Natural and beautiful, just like you." He said, smiling lovingly at her.

She blushed behind her mask. Shepard's many different forms of flattery never ceased to make her feel loved. "Are you ever going to stop making me feel so happy, and loved?" She asked, her blush continuing to fill her face as she brought it up to him.

"Not as long as we live."

"Good." She said, starting to reflect on their past experiences together. "You remember when you asked me out, as you call it?" She asked, looking to Shepard, who nodded and closed his eyes tight in an awkward shame. "You were so awkward about it, mumbling like a toothless old man, because you didn't think I'd say yes." She started to quietly laugh at him.

"I know, I know, do you have to keep reminding me about it?" He asked, opening his eyes to her and smiling slightly and remembering when he first asked her.

"As long as we live." She said, smiling at him as she adopted his earlier statement.

"Touche." He said, nodding approvingly to himself, and laughing quietly. "I wonder what this event is going on." He said, looking behind Tali.

"It's probably just some stupid party for something pointless." She said, not looking behind her, but keeping her gaze on Shepard.

"Maybe it's a calibration contest. I bet Garrus'll win. Or it could be some party Joker had planned, who knows?" He said shrugging, but smiling to himself as he thought about their friends.

"Maybe." She answered, laughing at Garrus and his calibrations, and at Joker.

Shepard looked away from the gathering behind Tali, and looked back to her. "Earth is a pretty place." She stated, taking another look at the tree.

"Is Rannoch as pretty?" He asked, also taking another look at the tree.

"Of course, it is to me at least, and to other quarians. It might not be as green as Earth, but it's still pretty." She said, pursing her lips as she thought about her planet and looked at the Earth in front of her. Her thoughts went to the current occupants of her planet, the geth. "I hope those geth are treating it right." She grumbled, thinking of the AI that had stolen her planet from her, and made her people into a nomadic people.

"Maybe I'll get it back for you someday." He said, looking at her honestly, but she took it as a joke and laughed. She noticed his expression, a look of truth in him, waiting for her to respond.

"Are you serious?" She asked, as if he couldn't do it.

"Of course I am. I love you, Tali. I'd do anything, and go anywhere for you, you should know that. I'll never leave you, I may not be in the same place as you, but I'll never leave you." He said, giving a single nod and smiled at her. This was the first real time he ever said, I love you, to her. She had always felt love for him, and him for her, but they had never said it until now.

Her cheeks blushed again before she answered. "I love you too, Shepard." She said without hesitation, coming easily for her, despite having never said it to him before.

Shepard stood on a cobblestone path, next to her, smiling to her. They continued their smile and stare toward each other for a minute, until it was broken by a third party. "You ready, Tali?" Garrus asked, standing behind her and waiting for an answer. She grudgingly broke her gaze from Shepard, to look at Garrus.

"Ready for what?" She asked, still smiling the same smile as if she was still looking at Shepard. She noted Garrus' clothing, his usual blue armor replaced with a black and silver one. His face looking of sadness, and remorse. "Jeez Garrus, cheer up a little bit, don't look so sad." She said, giggling a little, and not understanding his reason for sadness. She looked to Shepard, to see if he was also surprised by Garrus' glum look, but she found no Shepard. The earlier spot where Shepard had stood was now empty, no sign of him ever having been there at all. Her smile slowly started to fade, as she came back to reality.

"Who are you looking at?" He asked, moving his eyes in the direction of a spot of air she looked at. She slowly turned her head to view the sight behind Garrus. Flowers were gathered around a coffin, and rows of chairs filled with black clothed people, all of them looking to the grassy ground under their feet, in sadness and regret. Tali turned her head back to the spot Shepard had occupied, and stared again at the stone path where his feet had been only moments ago.

She realized why she was here, why she wore black, and why she was crying earlier, Shepard was gone. Tears started to fall from her glowing eyes, pooling at the bottom of her mask. She didn't whimper, or moan with sadness, but rather she cried silently. She didn't answer his earlier question, and walked past him, leaving the tree where she and Shepard had shared their last chat. She walked along the cobblestone path, making her way to the funeral. Her face void of all happy or positive emotion, as she continued to let the water fall from her glowing orbs.

She almost regretted talking to Shepard there, having him for those few minutes and taking him away would only make it harder for her to get over the loss. Garrus followed her to the funeral, his feet lazily kicking the stone path as he came closer to the gathering of their friends. She took a seat next to Joker, who's eyes were bloodshot and sparkling with tear water. Joker looked to her, breathing in deep and letting out a choppy sigh. Tali moved closer to Joker, holding out her hands to him, so he could hug her. His lip quivered as he accepted the hug, wrapping his arms around Tali in a caring hug, silently crying together as the funeral began.

* * *

**Note: **So, there it was, tell me if you liked it. Thank you for reading, and have a great rest of the day.


End file.
